You probably have either heard the news or seen memes about the toilet paper shortage at the beginning of COVID. Check out how some people joked about the toilet paper shortage on social media. What do you think? Why do you think toilet paper was in such high demand? Why did it become a scarce resource? Consider the title of the article by the Tampa Bay Times: Nervous shoppers rear-end store shelves. What does "rear-end" mean in another context, like in a car accident? While you are reading consider why the authors used the term "rear-end" to describe what is happening. Also, search for some answers to the question: Why has toilet paper become a scarce resource?
So after you read, why do you think toilet paper has become scarce? Conduct some research online. So what do you think about the toilet paper shortage? How much toilet paper do you think you need? Check out the toilet HowMuchToiletPaper.com to figure out how much paper you need. Now create some mathematical models to figure out how much toilet paper different groups need. Now think of supply and demand in terms of toilet paper during this crisis. Use this Supply and Demand infographic from the Atlanta Federal Reserve to explain what happens when the demand is greater than the supply.
Now apply this to toilet paper. What happens when the demand for toilet paper is greater than the supply? Conduct an online search for examples of price increases during this crisis. Many of the articles discuss "price gauging" as a recent unethical practice. To learn more about price gauging, read what Amazon is doing to unethical sellers who are participating in price gauging. What do you think about the recent price gauging? In your opinion, how is this different from regular practices of supply and demand? Use the OREO opinion writing graphic to organize your thoughts. Then, create an opinion piece, social media post, public service announcement, or meme.
In addition, we have created a Nearpod interactive that you can view or download to edit in your account.
Florida Standards: Financial Literacy-
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January 2022
CategoriesAuthorDeborah Kozdras, Ph.D. |